Sir Julian urges a rethink over LGR plans for the Forest

By Carolyn Griffith

Lymington Times – 19 June 2026

A New Forest MP has urged the government to "think again" over plans to split the area in a shake-up of local councils. As reported in March, the government confirmed the Forest will be divided in two from April 2028 under local government reorganisation (LGR), with the Waterside joining a new authority including Southampton, and the rest of the Forest joining with Winchester, East Hampshire and parts of the Test Valley. Speaking in a local government reform debate in Parliament on Wednesday, New Forest MP Sir Julian Lewis said there was "total outrage" at the split. He said:

"It needs to be put right and I hope the government can be persuaded to think again."

Sir Julian added: 

"There are very good reasons why., when changes are made to anything to do with constituency arrangements or democratic arrangements, they are normally carried out under the authority of an impartial body. I believe, as I suspect my Conservative colleagues believe, that if a body such as the Boundary Commission had been in charge of this operation, the results would have been very different. A coach and horses have been driven through anything to do with local, cultural or historical, as well as, shall we say, orientation among communities – all those ideas have been totally disregarded."

Sir Julian said that while the government "like to trumpet the fact that they are strongly in favour of the devolution of political power and of listening to what local people want", the idea was strongly objected to by locals.

He added:

"Ever since this outrageous proposition that Southampton should take over vast areas of my constituency splitting the constituency and the New Forest apart and tearing the Waterside away from the New Forest, which Waterside inhabitants have for hundreds of years viewed as part of their community – an online petition has been gathering signatures.

This issue is relatively local to a part of the south of Hampshire, so we might think that, if we were lucky, the petition might get 5,000 or 6,000 signatures. I checked and there are 22,812 signatures so far, and I am sure that the total is well over 25,000 with paper signatures taken into account.

What sort of issue must there be for 25.000 people in a local area to say that they utterly reject the tearing apart of the New Forest in this way and its takeover by the city of Southampton. which, as we haave heard is the case in other scenarios, is in a far worse financial position than the people who live at present under the aegis of New Forest District Council are accustomed to being in?"

While New Forest District Council decided against pursuing a legal challenge against the decision, Hampshire County Council is still considering a judicial review.

As reported, Hampshire’s leader, Cllr Nick Adams-King, said it was "disappointing" that it had not received "clarity on the basis of which (government) made their decision".

This was echoed by Sir Julian who said:

"We have tried – we really have – to engage in a sincere way with the government. When the original minister wrote to us, he set out what appeared to be reassuring criteria: there would be no unnecessary duplication or fragmentation, and the building blocks of the new unitary authorities would be the areas covered by the existing borough and district councils unless – as an exception – there was a very strong reason for interfering with boundaries.

However, the only reasons given have been vague comments about maximising economic prosperity or something. which could be said in justification of any change, no matter how politically outrageous.

I am sure that if this minister had full strategic authority – to make a bad pun – over this policy, we would not be experiencing what we are experiencing. There is total outrage about this matter. It needs to be put right, and I hope the government can be persuaded to think again."